One Who Protects The Fire's Will
by KuroArashi94
Summary: The fight with Ulquiorra goes much differently and results in Ichigo and his friends being thrown into a world very different from what they're used to. With a new enemy showing interest in him and his friends, Ichigo must delve further into his Hollow instinct to combat those who would dare bring harm to his friends old and new. Ichihime NaruHina Uryux? Slightly AU.


Welcome all of you to a new story…ok for people who follow me and have for a while, let me explain. I know I said I'd try to keep my story count to a manageable level (at most three stories) but the thing is, I've been wanting to write another Bleach and Naruto story for a long time; the last two just weren't doing it for me and I gave them up to someone who I think will do them justice (Rocker1600 you're awesome and I hope you're reading this). I've got a good feeling about this one; I'm planning things out much more carefully than the last two.

I'm saying this now, both universes are slightly AU more so Bleach than Naruto. I've tweaked Naruto's repertoire a bit so he looks like he was trained as competently as Sasuke was; don't worry he'll still get all his techniques that he is known for but I felt he needed a bit more. A couple of characters are getting cut from the story altogether, those being Yamato and Sai. I'm not a big fan of Sai to begin with and his lack of action in the manga after Sasuke's first appearance post time skip just lamented on how pointless of a character he is; seriously besides resealing his brother and informing Kakashi of Sakura's plans to murder Sasuke (lol) what did he really do? Yamato, I actually like a bit and while he did contribute to a few events after his introduction arc he was shafted pretty quickly and was really only around for when Naruto went berserk which only happened a few times throughout part 2. That being said, I do have an idea to suppress Kyuubi Naruto without the need of Yamato and the solution is rather simple when you think about it considering which Bleach characters I have in this story.

Speaking of Bleach, the AU comes in the form of a couple things; for one, Ichigo's canon origins do not hold any significance in my story, therefore the Zanpakuto he uses here will be his true blade although it may or may not be altered in appearance later due to future plans but Ichigo will stay wielding a single blade in both Shikai and Bankai. I have no plans of going into the 1000 Year Blood War for this story, I always felt Bleach was at it's strongest during the conflict with Aizen and I'm staying in that time frame. I'm giving Ichigo kido…because like Naruto, I'm making sure he is not a one trick pony throughout this fic.

Fair warning, this will be an Ichihime pairing because it my favorite Bleach ship and I don't see enough of it (sorry Ichiruki shippers, maybe next time). Naruhina because no shit. I'm debating if I want to keep SasuSaku a thing or pair Uryu with Sakura and Sasuke with Karin or even Ino since she's technically fair game too…I'll leave it up to you guys.

Oh yeah…no bashing…or killing off important characters just because….so sorry Sasuke haters but he's too vital to the story of Naruto to get axed. That's like DBZ with no Vegeta you just don't do that man.

Am I missing anything?

No?

Ok good, let's get started.

"This" is talking

" **This" is Hollow**

" _ **This" is Biju/Zanpakuto**_

" _This" is thought_

 **Chapter 1:**

This feeling.

Such a familiar feeling.

One that held nothing but painful memories; memories of a dark rainy night.

A night that could've… _should've_ been filled with smiles, laughter, 'I love you's', and 'thank you's', were instead filled with yelling, shouts of 'Don't leave me', guilt, and blood.

So much blood…

So. Much. Blood.

Ah yes, she remembered that feeling all too well.

She hadn't felt like this since her brother was killed in that accident.

Only now as she watched the one she put so much faith in, the man she loved get shot through his chest, the feeling was so much worse.

That feeling only increased when she failed to heal the mortal wound.

As she watched one of her best friends get tossed around by the monster who had done the heinous deed, that feeling began to grip at her heart and it only tightened with each vicious strike upon his being.

Her breath quickened.

"Please."

She was panicking; she couldn't take it anymore!

"Please save me…"

This horrible, disgusting feeling.

"Please save me!"

Despair.

"PLEASE SAVE ME, ICHIGO!"

* * *

He lost.

Despite all his efforts he couldn't overcome the gap between himself and his opponent. What was the point of all this? To defeat enemy after enemy and overcome every trial put in front of him…

…only to get his heart blown out in an utterly one-sided battle.

Yes, he knew that the Espada of Nihilism was his superior in every way. He knew his chances of victory were slim to none but he had to try.

He had to fight.

He had to _win_!

But such a feat was impossible….

….just why was he fighting a losing battle?

The more he thought about it, surrounded by the ever increasing darkness, it made little sense as to why he took up his sword at all.

Not like it mattered now; he was tired.

He just wanted to sleep.

Yes, that sounded good.

" _Please."_

His eyes fluttered open;

" _Who said that? Where is that voice coming from?"_ He thought

The voice was familiar but it didn't sound like he remembered.

" _Please, save me…"_

No, this wasn't right. His memories tell him that this voice was meant to be cheerful; a voice that radiated positivity, which always seemed to light up the mood and give a sense of optimism even in a hopeless situation.

" _Please, save me!"_

A desperate tone; one that spoke of complete loss of hope, a tone of broken resolve.

The tone of utter despair.

" _PLEASE SAVE ME, ICHIGO!"_

Like a river breaking through a dam, they came back to him.

Memories, his reasons to fight flashed before his eyes.

His home.

" _Protect…"_

His friends.

" _I will…"_

His family.

" _I will protect…"_

 _Her._

" _I will protect them!"_

* * *

Ulquiorra Cifer wouldn't say he understood neither humans nor their emotions. In fact, he was very much clueless when it came to the feeble creatures he would occasionally use as a food source.

Although he wouldn't say he wasn't curious.

It started with the human woman that his lord ordered him to capture; despite her complete isolation and abuse, being told that her chances of being rescued were utterly impossible, her eyes never showed fear, never showed the despair that he coveted seeing in his enemies.

No. The only thing those eyes held were confidence.

Confident her comrades would come for her.

Confident they would overcome the enemies placed before them.

And she was _right._

Was she psychic; did she have hidden abilities that she had kept from Aizen-sama's eyes?

No.

" _I know, in my heart, they will win."_

The heart of a human; such a mystery to him, what could an organ meant to sustain life influence the outcome of battle; to instill such confidence in the girl?

Then Kurosaki Ichigo challenged him once again despite his swift defeat just a few hours earlier.

He could say with confidence that the boy was an utter pain to deal with. Despite the obvious gap between them, the boy continued to fight. Even when he released his sword and dominated the fight, the child would not drop his sword.

 _"The difference in strength...what about it? Do you think I should give up just because you're stronger than me? I've always known you were strong. Nothing I see now will change my mind. I will defeat you, Ulquiorra."_

Such stubborn foolishness.

Even resorting to Segunda Etapa wasn't enough to make him drop his sword and the subsequent beat down lacked the results he was hoping for.

It was only after he blew a hole in the boy's chest in front of the woman who put all her confidence in him did he begin to see the despair he desired.

Then the Quincy attacked him.

What was a minor annoyance was now utterly rage inducing.

He silently praised the Qunicy's merciless assault but it was a pointless endeavor and one out of character for the normally level-headed boy.

" _I believe I am still as level-headed as you think; that is why I can fight you!"_

Such frustrating humans.

He beat the Quincy senseless, even severing his left hand to make his annoying bow a non-issue and the boy still fought him tooth and nail. Finally having enough, he knocked the boy to the ground and prepared to wipe him and the woman off the map.

Then he felt it.

A reiatsu on par…no stronger than his lord enveloped the canopy of Las Noches.

And the source was…Kurosaki Ichigo?

Preposterous, he finished the boy.

To be certain, the Espada turned his head to where the woman brought the corpse.

And for what seemed like the millionth time today, Ulquiorra was left speechless at what he was witnessing.

Kurosaki now resembled a Vasto Lorde; white-plated armor enveloped his entire body, red tufts surrounded his wrists, ankles, and neck, black tribal-like markings surrounded the hole in his chest and took the form of two horizontal bars going down across the eye holes of his horned mask, and his hair had lengthened to the small of his back.

Ulquiorra immediately focused his senses on the new threat just to be sure and clicked his teeth in frustration. The Espada knew whatever this form that Kurosaki took was, it was superior to him.

A tactical retreat was necessary; he was no coward that was certain but he was more use to Aizen-sama alive than dead.

"I-Ichigo?" Orihime called wariness clear in her tone.

The redhead already shown, much to her shame, her fear of Ichigo's mask but this? It made her shake uncontrollably and made her feel sick to her stomach.

"Kurosaki." Uryu muttered, narrowing his eyes at Ichigo's Hollow form.

Uryu felt defensive just by looking at the intimidating figure; his intuition telling him that this most definitely wasn't a good thing.

Ulquiorra observed these events discreetly.

" _Interesting, Kurosaki's comrades are weary of him. Then that would mean this occurrence is not normal. Retreating to the human world would seem to be the most logical option; I will have backup should he try and follow me turning the battle in Aizen-sama's favor."_

Confident in his decision, the Espada gathered the reiryoku necessary to create a Garganta to the human world.

Then, without the slightest bit of warning, Hollow Ichigo called his sword back from the rubble it was embedded in and rushed Ulquiorra just as he was creating the portal.

The two humans never saw him move.

The same could be said for the nihilistic Hollow if the widening of his eyes and sharp spike in reiryoku was anything to go by.

However, this spike in power, this minute miscalculation was about to make a big change for the three humans present.

Ulquiorra's Garganta was imbued with far too much power than necessary due to the Espada's surprise at Ichigo's actions.

A loud crack like thunder resonated throughout the area followed by a sound reminiscent of something being torn as the Garganta opened but instead of the black void associated with the portal, the void was a swirling mass of white and gold.

Ulquiorra didn't have time to lament on his creation before his Hollowfied enemy tackled him, sending both into the unstable portal.

"Ichigo!" Orihime cried.

"Damn it!" Uryu exclaimed

The Garganta began to distort after the two Hollow fell through then a heavy wind began to manifest.

"W-what's going on?" the redheaded healer questioned in fear as the wind became increasingly heavier.

Uryu felt himself gravitate towards the hole as the wind speeds grew to the point that his body was being pushed around.

" _Wait, this wind isn't pushing! It's pulling!"_

"Ugh!"

The Qunicy's head snapped towards Orihime who toppled to the ground. The young woman had no time to recover; the portal was beginning to consume all the debris around them and seemed to be trying its hardest to take to two humans as well.

And it was working.

Orihime felt her body being lifted off the ground and practically flung into the swirling vortex.

"URYU!" she cried, her voice echoing through the void.

"NO!"

The Quincy threw caution to the wind and stopped struggling, allowing himself to be consumed by the vortex in order to save his friends.

Then the portal was gone as if satisfied, it disappeared as quickly as it came leaving a quiet and decimated environment in its wake.

And just like that; destiny had been bested, fate had been changed.

* * *

"Hey Ero-Sennin, how long will it take us to get to Konoha from here?"

The middle aged man glared half-heartedly at the orange and black wearing blonde by his side due to the name but shrugged it off quickly; he was used to it after all.

"About a day at this pace; I know you're excited kid, but be patient."

The teen gave the man a deadpan expression.

"I haven't been home in almost three years; I think I've earned the right to be excited."

The man shrugged.

"Fair enough."

The man smiled at his student.

"Tell me Naruto, do you feel ready?"

The whiskered-faced blonde grinned excitedly.

"You bet, the Akatsuki and Sasuke won't know what hit them!"

The older man let out a boisterous laugh.

"Well you are the student of the legendary Jiraiya! It's only right for you to feel such confidence!"

Naruto felt his eye twitch while he stared at his eccentric master as he began striking several embarrassing poses. He didn't bother stopping him; two and a half years with the man made him immune to some of his habits.

" _Two and a half years, has it really been that long?"_ Naruto asked himself, now flat out ignoring Jiraiya's boasting.

Almost three years of specialized training; training he needed in order to combat future enemies who would stop at nothing to take the power he held within him, the power of the strongest Biju, the Kyuubi.

Of course he had a more personal reason to train besides his own want to get stronger and his self-preservation; he had a promise to uphold. A promise to his dear teammate, to save his best friend from the dark path he now walked on.

The blonde ninja clenched his fist.

He'd spent years fixing his broken foundations as a shinobi, learning and mastering a variety of new jutsu, and even began the basics of manipulating his chakra nature. He only hoped what he learned would be enough to face Sasuke who had beaten him in battle before he had left the village.

Sasuke's thirst for revenge had driven him to become a traitor and he'd be damned if he allowed him to plunge further into darkness over something so petty.

Despite his obvious increase in power, Naruto was slightly apprehensive about his inevitable encounter with both the organization after his head and his best friend. Call it nerves getting the best of him but there was no denying that the last time he faced both future problems in question he was either stricken with fear and rendered useless when his trump card was temporarily taken away from him or struck through the chest with a lightning-covered fist…twice.

The Jinchuriki felt a hand being placed on his shoulder and he turned to see his sensei smiling at him.

"Keep your head up kid; I've trained you to the best of my ability. When the time comes, you'll be more than ready I'm sure of it."

Naruto grinned, thankful to Jiraiya for lifting his spirits.

"Thanks Ero-"

A loud explosion resonated throughout the area cutting Naruto off.

"W-what the hell?" The orange-clad ninja said

A tremor was felt, accompanying it was something neither shinobi had ever seen before.

A column of black energy shot into the sky, spreading and blocking out the sun.

Even if the two didn't understand what they were seeing the feeling coming off of it was something…chilling.

The feeling was as if a heavy pressure was pressing down on them and it felt thick as if they were swimming through mud. It was cold and dark, as if it was meant to instill fear into the hearts of men, to display utter hopelessness.

It was enough to make both shinobi break out into a cold sweat.

Then the feeling was gone, so quick that they almost thought they had imagined it. But there was just no denying that what they felt was very real.

"E-Ero-sennin?" Naruto said, his voice shaky

Jiraiya was instantly on alert like any veteran shinobi would be after feeling danger.

"Whatever that was it was coming from the forest about half a mile from here; we have to check it out and make sure there aren't any civilians in the area."

Naruto gulped but nodded, steeling himself for what lied ahead.

"I'm ready, let's go."

The two Konoha shinobi jumped to the trees, preparing themselves for a fight.

* * *

"Hold still Uryu; it's harder to heal you if you squirm too much." Orihime chided, never taking her focus on the barrier she had erected over her friend.

"S-sorry Orihime, sensing the fight is making me anxious. We need to get to Ichigo as soon as possible before he harms someone in his condition." Uryu responded, watching as his hand regenerated before his eyes.

While the current battle between the Espada and his hollowfied comrade partly contributed to the Qunicy's anxiety, in truth it wasn't just the fact that the battle was taking place, it was _where_ it was taking place.

Where ever that garganta had thrown the group, it certainly wasn't anywhere Uryu recognized. He had figured that despite the obvious unstable nature of the portal that he and his friends would be taken to familiar territory, be it the Soul Society or somewhere in Karakura but that was not the case.

All around the two teenagers was nothing but forestry for miles; of course that wouldn't be the most concerning thing about their location. After all, the outskirts of their home town did have a fairly large forest and at first that's exactly where they thought they were. That was until Uryu made a rather discerning discovery.

Being a fighter who relied on the reishi in the atmosphere to manifest his weapon, the young Quincy has become very familiar with the sensation of the spirit particles in the air. So when he had noticed the unfamiliar energy in the air around him the moment he had landed in the forest, he knew something wasn't right.

Just to be sure his sense weren't playing tricks on him; he tried to gather the unfamiliar energy into his trademark bow….only to fail miserably.

For some reason forming his bow was extremely difficult; he had tried a few times and only barely began forming his weapon of choice before it completely dissipated into the air.

And if he couldn't form the bow, his easiest technique, that would mean that the other Quincy techniques in his repertoire were unusable.

Ishida Uryu, once again, was powerless.

Only this time, in unfamiliar territory.

Can anyone spell paranoid?

Good.

Uryu's inner musings were cut off when Orihime began shaking him.

"W-what is it, Orihime?" He asked, slightly disoriented

"I heard some voices approaching; I think some people are trying to get close to the fight." The redhead responded

That wasn't good; even if the atmosphere was off, it was clear that they were in the Living World. Of course a battle between two Vasto Lorde class Hollows would affect it in some way. Random tremors and explosions would compel someone to check out the disturbance no matter how illogical a move it would be.

Why did curiosity trump logic in humans at times when the situation could prove fatal?

The two teens prepared themselves just as two figures began approaching their position. They needed to think of some way to turn these people away or they would never forgive themselves if innocents were harmed.

The two people arrived in front of them surprisingly quick; they unknowingly shared a similar thought as they took in their appearance.

" _Weird."_

While the two teens really had no room to talk due to their own attire, they couldn't help themselves. Normal people don't usually dress the way these two were.

The blonde teen wearing the orange and black jumpsuit wasn't too odd besides the sandals, black metal-plated headband, and the whisker-like marks on his tan cheeks. If anything, he may just have no sense of style, a normal but uncommon occurrence around Karakura.

The old man traveling with him looked like he was straight out of their Japanese history books. Long white spiky hair, red painted lines on both sides of his face, a mesh armor suit under a short shirt green kimono and pants with a red haori over his shirt, matching gauntlets, a black belt, geta sandals, a horned metal headband with the kanji for oil covering his forehead, and a giant scroll secured on his back.

Orihime seemed to shrug off the outfit after a moment while Uryu seemed even more paranoid than before.

" _No one dresses like that in this day and age for everyday life. Something is very wrong here; just where did that damned Hollow send us!?"_

The old man snapping his fingers in front of Uryu's face knocked him out of his thoughts.

The archer collected himself and faced rather tall man directly.

"My apologies, is there something I can help you with?" Uryu asked calmly while thinking of several different ways to direct the man and teen in the opposite direction.

Jiraiya examined the two teenagers in front of him.

They weren't shinobi that was for sure; they appeared to be civilians, maybe somewhat high class given their attire. Said attire was dirty, torn, and ragged as if they just had been put through the ringer.

The veteran shinobi narrowed his eyes; you don't live through three major wars like him and not recognize the signs of a recent battle.

" _At least in the young man's case; the girl doesn't seem like a fighter; most likely just an unlucky bystander during a fight."_ He mused

Yes, the girl definitely wasn't a warrior; her curvaceous figure (something he could appreciate) spoke of someone who was at the peak of physical fitness, possibly from light exercise maybe minor taijutsu training for self-defense but nothing too extreme.

Although, he couldn't completely write the girl off just yet; not when he turned his eyes to fully examine her friend.

His lanky appearance may have thrown Jiraiya off for a moment but a closer look told him much more. The kid had muscle for sure but not the type that spoke of strength, no, the boy was most definitely built for speed. Not the sort of fighter meant for close quarters combat; assassination maybe? A long range fighter? The Sannin couldn't be sure but it did make him wonder what a clearly civilian teenager would need to train in such a way for.

Naruto felt his eyebrow twitch while he watched his sensei stare the other two teens down for over a minute.

"Hey old man, stop staring at them like some creep; you're making them uncomfortable!" The Jinchuriki exclaimed in annoyance and mild disgust.

Jiraiya didn't respond verbally but the deadpan stare he directed at his student conveyed enough of his inner thoughts. He did however notice that the two brats seemed a bit creeped out and the young man made sure his female friend was behind him.

The Sannin cleared his throat.

"Sorry about that; I just had to be sure you two weren't a threat." Jiraiya explained before giving the two of them hard stares. "That doesn't mean I'm not suspicious though. Heavy tremors and a giant column of green light were coming from this direction. Whatever the light was it wasn't normal; you two being in such close proximity on top of your clearly ragged condition leads me to believe that you're involved in some way."

Uryu's paranoia reached in all time high; two spiritually aware people took notice of Ulquiorra's reiryoku?

Of all the rotten luck.

Naruto noticed the blue haired teen's expression shift and was immediately in his face.

"You do know something, don't you Four-eyes?"

A look of annoyance overtook the Quincy's features

"Kindly remove yourself from my personal space before I make you."

The blonde genin grit his teeth.

"I'd like to see you try!"

Jiraiya grabbed his student and Orihime pulled Uryu away before things could escalate.

"Calm down! You were out of line and you know it!" Jiraiya exclaimed, admonishing his hot-headed godson.

"There was no need to threaten him like that, Uryu." Orihime scolded

Jiraiya sighed; this was getting them nowhere.

"Look, all we-"

*BOOM*

The Sannin's words were cut off by an explosion of red energy going off in a very close area. Harsh winds blew the four off their feet and the heavy pressure that followed kept them on the ground for over a minute before they could move again.

"W-what the shit!? What was that!?" Naruto cried, getting to his feet on shaky legs.

"Ichigo!" Orihime shouted, surprising the two shinobi.

The redheaded healer began sprinting towards the direction of the blast; her worry for the man she admired most was too great. She heard Uryu calling back to her and knew he could catch her easily if he so wished.

So in her panic, she did something that she had never tried before and drew on her reiryoku in the hopes of enhancing her speed to reach Ichigo faster.

So it came to no surprise when she never noticed a familiar gold light surround her feet or how she disappeared from the view of the others. The only indication she was ever there was a high pitch sound that the Quincy recognized as the sound made when she erected one of her barriers.

"O-Orihime…" Uryu said in awe of what his friend just accomplished without even realizing it.

"Naruto come back here!"

Uryu jumped slightly when he heard the frustrated shout of the old man calling back the boy who was sprinting off in the same direction as his friend.

"Annoying brat." Jiraiya sighed, walking up to Uryu and holding out a hand which he grabbed gratefully.

"I don't know what it is I just saw but I'm sure you'll explain all the finer details while we go bail those two brats out of trouble." Jiraiya said with a devilish grin.

The Quincy sighed; today just wasn't his day.

* * *

As far back as he could remember, Ulquiorra could say that he never once felt the sensation of fear. Not when he spent millennia in solitude, not when Aizen took over Las Noches and shown dominance to his peers, not even when he decided to keep his final form a secret from his lord despite the repercussions such actions would entail.

But now, as he threw his all against the uncontrollable beast that was once Kurosaki Ichigo to no avail, he was sure that he was now very intimate with the emotion.

Being thrown through an unstable garganta and landing in a very unfamiliar area was already a cause for concern but having the abomination Kurosaki transformed into flying after him only made that feeling double.

He felt the new form was a serious danger and decided to end things quickly with a Cero Oscuras but he did not expect Kurosaki Ichigo, this _human,_ to counter with a normal Cero and overpower his own!

The Espada tried to fall back, taking to the air in order to re-focus and think of a strategy. Unfortunately, his enemy was out for blood and used the obscuring smoke to get the jump on Ulquiorra and cutting off his arm with no amount of hesitation.

Despite his uncaring facade and instant regeneration that re-grew his arm, Ulquiorra was beginning to panic; his mind going a mile a minute on his next move and he had one…

…And like everything else, it was useless.

His Lanza del Relampago, his strongest technique, was easily dodged. It didn't bother him at first; the javelin-like attack was extremely difficult to maneuver properly. What DID catch him by surprise was when Kurosaki grabbed the second one with his bare hands and subsequently crush it.

" _What is he!?"_ Ulquiorra thought in shock just as Ichigo's black blade sliced through his torso.

The nihilistic Arrancar knew his fate was sealed now and a feeling of calm acceptance washed through him.

"Very good, Kurosaki Ichigo; you have-urk!"

To his surprise, the hollowfied Vizard stomped down harshly on his head and aimed the two demonic horns charging red reiryoku at the Espada.

"No mercy? I see, how very Hollow-like of you." Ulquiorra stated.

A large pillar of red energy shot through the sky; a direct effect of Ichigo releasing a Cero at point-blank range.

The attack blew a larger crater into the Earth; uprooting trees and causing fissures all over the battlefield.

Above the desolated area was Ichigo holding on to a mutilated Ulquiorra by his torn wing. The hollowfied human dropped his enemy uncaringly into the crater which he himself created. Ichigo descended to the ground, next to the mortally wounded Hollow, holding his sword above his throat.

"Yes, finish it." Ulquiorra urged, uncaringly.

As if understanding the demand through his berserk haze, Ichigo rose his sword high, ready to ram it into his half dead opponent.

"Ichigo, NO!"

He stopped…that voice…so familiar.

The hollowfied being turned his head to the edge of the crater, looking at the orange-haired girl who was calling out to him to halt the attack.

" **Protect…Protect…I will protect…"** Ichigo mumbled like a mantra.

Orihime didn't hear him but she did sigh in relief when it appeared that calling out to him worked.

"Thank goodness." She said

Just as she was about to approach him in the hopes of getting him to return to normal, a familiar blonde boy ran up to her side.

"Hey why'd you run off like that; you could've gotten seriously hurt running into headlong into danger the way you did!" Naruto said in a scolding tone, failing to see the irony of his statement.

Unknown to the genin or the embarrassed healer, Hollow Ichigo had gone ridged after seeing Naruto raise his voice at Orihime.

" **Dangerous…I will protect…"**

He leaped out the hole and grabbed the blonde by his jacket, throwing him on the other side of the crater faster than Naruto could fully comprehend.

" _What the hell!? What's going on now!?"_ The Jinchuriki thought in annoyance and confusion.

With finesse only garnered through intense training, Naruto recovered easily from the rough throw….

…Just as the demonic-looking skeleton monster appeared right in front of him, sword poised to strike.

"What the shit!?" Naruto cried, leaping away from the strike and forming a cross sign with his hands.

"Taju Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

With a large explosion of white smoke, Hollow Ichigo was surrounded by over a thousand duplicates of the blonde genin.

"I'm not sure what's going on but anyone who tries to off Uzumaki Naruto is in for a hell of a beating!"

On the other side of the crater, Orihime's jaw dropped at Naruto's display.

" _H-how did he do that!?"_

"Charge!" Naruto cried, signaling his clones to move in.

One clone attempted a roundhouse kick, smashing his leg into the hybrid's neck.

…only to pop on impact.

"E-EHH!?" Naruto exclaimed in shock.

Hollow Ichigo let out a mighty roar, sending a shockwave throughout the battlefield that disrupted the many clones around him sending them all popping out of existence.

"Are you freakin' kidding me!?"

A sound akin to static rang throughout the forest and any quips the Jinchuriki had for his skeletal enemy died in his throat when the point of Tensa Zangetsu materialized within centimeters of Naruto's neck.

Time seemed to slow down for the blonde genin, his life flashed before his eyes within in instant. It was an odd sensation for him; seeing his academy days, his first major mission, even his toughest battles go by within a mere second.

Then fear began to set in; fear that he'd never accomplish his goal of becoming Hokage, fear that he'd never see his friends again, fear that he would fail in saving Sasuke's life.

He couldn't die here damn it! Not yet, he wasn't ready, he had too many goals to accomplish and he wouldn't be able to do it in a coffin!

His eyes flashed into a deep crimson just as a cry of 'Santen Kesshun' echoed through the air.

A semi-transparent gold barrier took form between the two fighters, deflecting the black daito and allowing Naruto to jump away and gain some distance.

Despite his partial transformation, Naruto was still completely rational, if a little aggressive. So he was a bit confused when a random barrier appeared out of nowhere in front of him.

"Where did that come from?" He questioned, looking around the area frantically until his eyes landed on the orange-haired girl with her arms outstretched.

"Wait, did she do that? How?"

"What are you waiting for!?" Orihime exclaimed in a panic. "You need to attack now while he's distracted! Aim for the mask!"

Naruto quirked an eyebrow in disbelief; how can hitting a mask stop…whatever the hell this thing was?

"Naruto, move!"

The genin jumped in surprise when his sensei came out of the sky and landed in front of him and, much to the Jinchuriki's shock intercepted the black blade aiming for his skull with a kunai.

"Damn it kid, get your head out of the clouds and listen to the girl!" Jiraiya ordered, struggling to hold back the raging beast in front of him.

Naruto didn't hesitate this time, forming a Rasengan in his hand and jumping over the Toad Sage, aiming the swirling ball of chakra at the beast's head…

…and only then did he notice the red energy gathering between Ichigo's horns.

"Oh shit!" Naruto and Jiraiya cried

The older ninja acted quickly; breaking out of his struggle with the Hollow and grabbed his student's ankle before he could get any closer and threw him out of the danger zone.

"Ero-Sennin!" Naruto cried in terror watching his master face down the unknown technique head on.

Then out of nowhere, the air shifted and Jiraiya found himself next to his reckless student with no visible injuries.

"Wha…" Jiraiya said with a dumbfounded look.

"You're lucky that my maneuverability wasn't hindered like everything else." Uryu stated from his place next to the confused Sannin.

"Ok kid, I think I'm starting to believe your case a little bit more." Jiraiya responded, getting to his feet and dusting off.

Uryu nodded

"Good, now remember what I told you. Don't kill him just break the mask on his face it may bring him back to normal."

"It _may_?" Jiraiya questioned

The Quincy grimaced but before he could respond, Ichigo went back on the offensive, launching another Cero at the three.

"Oh crap!" Naruto shouted

"Stand back!" Jiraiya ordered, standing in front of the two teenagers and beginning a sequence of hand seals.

"Doton: Doryuheki!"

A thick slab of earth sprung from the ground, intercepting the powerful Cero.

If Uryu was shocked by the display of ninjutsu, he didn't show it.

"Wow that was so cool!"

Well someone has to be impressed; thank goodness for ditzy redheads.

Unfortunately, the wall wasn't holding up well. However, it didn't have to as the two ninja and one Quincy quickly got to a safe distance before it was blown away along with a few miles of forestry, leaving a deep trench where the Cero hit.

* * *

Uryu re-appeared next to Orihime, falling on his bottom and breathing heavily.

"Are you ok, Uryu?" she asked, erecting Souten Kisshun around her friend.

"Yes, don't worry about me. It's just the continuous fighting finally getting to me." He answered tiredly.

The healer turned her head to watch the battle between Ichigo and the old man and his student rage on. She was seriously confused; who were these people and what were those abilities they displayed? They couldn't be Shinigami nor Hollow; they didn't feel anything like that but they hardly felt human as well. And yet it was quite obvious that they were human, special like her maybe, but still very much human.

So why did their reiatsu feel so abnormal?

What in the world was going on!?

"Orihime."

The girl snapped out of her thoughts and turned to the Quincy.

"Don't think too much about it right now; I'm sure we'll get our answers soon just be patient. That man, Jiraiya, he explained to me briefly…about himself and his student. Trust me when I say that for now, it's best to just focus on returning Ichigo to normal."

The young woman stared at the Qunicy prodigy for a long moment to the point where it was beginning to get to him.

"What is it?" he asked

"Aren't you going to help them?"

There was a long bout of silence between the two; the sounds of battle in the background did little to change that for what felt like forever.

"Uryu." She began, feeling an odd sense of dread filling her being. "Why aren't you fighting?"

The proud Quincy silently raised his right arm and allowed the Quincy cross to dangle from his wrist and the familiar blue light that indicated the materialization of all Quincy weaponry began to envelop his hand…

…and fizzled out almost immediately.

Uryu began to take deep gulps of air and sweat heavily as if he overexerted himself.

"I-I can't properly make use of the reishi here; it's too dense, too thick, it doesn't even feel completely like reishi. Until I figure out what's going on, I'm useless."

Orihime felt her stomach plummet; if the situation wasn't bad before, that notion was undeniable now.

* * *

Jiraiya grimaced as the black blade wielded by the berserk teen sliced into his arm. This situation was getting out of hand; the possessed teen, Ichigo fought similar to a non-rational Jinchuriki, unrelenting, savagely, and without remorse for his actions.

Admittedly, when Uryu told him of his and his friend's situation he initially scoffed at the unbelievable tale. A group of three extraordinary teenagers and two _Shinigami_ (yeah right) infiltrating a high security enemy base to rescue a teenage girl; said mission ended with them somehow getting sucked into a giant hole and ending up in the northern half of Hi no Kuni.

Who in God's name would believe such obvious bullshit?

" _Well, safe to say I'm a believer now!"_ Jiraiya thought as he hurriedly dodged the savage and fast attacks coming from his opponent.

Hollow Ichigo let out an animalistic war, throwing the Sannin off balance and allowing the Vizard to break through his guard.

"Shit!" he swore as Tensa Zangetsu sliced him across his chest.

Thankfully, the cut was shallow so he was able to jump back and gain some distance.

Naruto, who had been watching and waiting for an opening, growled in annoyance; this fight was going nowhere and at this rate both he and Jiraiya would run out of chakra before they could make any progress.

" _Looks like I'm going to have to step up my game."_

That said, the Jinchuriki summoned the chakra cloak he worked so hard to control. Unfortunately, he could only use three tails effectively and he couldn't control the rate at which they manifested.

"I need to end this quick." He muttered in a much gruffer voice than normal.

"Naruto," Jiraiya said in a tone of warning.

He grinned in response.

"Relax Ero-Sennin, I got this."

Naruto quickly went through a sequence of hand seals.

"Futon: Reppusho!"

The blonde genin thrust out his right arm, shooting a pressurized stream of air straight into the mask of Ichigo, the force throwing the hollowfied Vizard into the forest.

* * *

The two spiritually aware humans felt their jaws unhinge as they took in both Naruto's appearance and his assault.

"Uryu, do you sense that?"

He nodded, feeling sweat trickle down his cheek.

Whatever this kid was, he definitely was more than just a powerful human that was for certain.

No normal human could emit such a corrupt aura.

* * *

Naruto thrusted his arm out, allowing the surrounding red chakra claw to shoot off into the forest and grabbed Ichigo; he pulled his arm back, motioning for the chakra claw to retract bringing the Vizard with it.

Seeing his target defenseless and coming toward him, Naruto gathered chakra in his free hand, creating the familiar swirling ball that he'd made his signature technique over the years.

Once in range, Naruto thrusted his arm forward.

"Rasengan!"

The deadly ninjutsu slammed into the Hollow mask, the Biju chakra further enhancing it's power as well as it's stabilization indicated from the technique detonating on impact, throwing Ichigo into the crater he created.

"That oughta do it." Naruto stated with a grin, allowing the chakra cloak to recede.

The two spiritually aware humans, having seen the actions of the blonde shinobi, frantically dropped into the mildly deep crater and high tailed it to where Ichigo landed.

They completely missed the subtle twitching of a certain Espada as they passed by him.

Naruto lightly jogged to his downed opponent, looking over the orange-haired teen's body. He was lying on his back, slightly singed, and seemingly unconscious. He nodded to himself and grinned, obviously proud of his actions in taking down the Vizard with minimal injury.

The rest of the group approached the blonde's location with varying expressions on their face.

Jiraiya was wearing a proud smirk, giving his apprentice a congratulatory pat on the shoulder.

Orihime and Uryu both wore wary expressions after Naruto's display; being in an unknown area with extraordinary humans with abilities similar to yet different from kido would do that to you. What really got under their skin however wasn't the techniques but the red energy that the blonde had surrounding him.

It was dark and corrupt; almost toxic, similar to Hollows or maybe even worse.

Jiraiya crossed his arms and let his gaze travel over the downed hybrid.

"Looks like you did good kid. Let's get that mask off of him before he gets up." The Sannin said, walking over to Ichigo.

Uryu's eye's widened and a look of horror crossed Orihime's face.

" _The mask is still on!?"_

It was common knowledge that the only way for Ichigo to regain his rationality when berserk was for the mask to be completely removed from his face otherwise his Hollow would continue to run rampant.

"Wait don't go near him!" Orihime cried

Jiraiya's instincts began screaming at him to move back; going with his gut, the Sannin leapt away from the Vizard.

Naruto gave the girl a confused look having not heard her correctly.

" _ **Move you idiot!"**_

*ROAR*

*SQUELCH*

To startled from both Orihime's and the Kyuubi's cries, Naruto never noticed Ichigo get back to his feet, predatory yellow eyes glowing with menace, until his Zanpakuto was ran through the genin's gut down to the hilt.

"W-wha..?" Blood flew from his mouth as he tried to comprehend what just happened.

"Naruto!" Jiraiya exclaimed, rushing to his student's aid.

"No, wait!" Orihime called out but to no avail.

Uryu grit his teeth; never before had he felt so useless!

Seeing the older man running toward him, Rasengan in hand, Ichigo growled with hostility. He ripped his sword out of Naruto and kicked the genin away right at the feet of Orihime who quickly began to heal the wound.

"Rasengan!" Jiraiya roared, outstretching his arm to attack.

Rather than dodge as most would expect with a jutsu of the Rasengan's caliber coming toward their face, Ichigo did something unexpected.

He grabbed it.

"What!?" Jiraiya cried in shock.

A distorted growl was the only warning the Sannin was given just before he felt the black blade slice him deeply from his left shoulder to his right hip.

The shinobi war veteran sank to his knees, blood flowing in rivulets from his wounds.

Naruto watched from behind Souten Kisshun as Ichigo lifted his sword above his head ready to bring it down on Jiraiya's head.

"Ero-Sennin!"

"Damn it!" Uryu growled, gathering his reiryoku. Even if he couldn't use his weapons hirenkyaku was still available to him if only barely and he'd use his limited abilities at risk to himself if it meant he could save a life.

However he didn't have to do anything.

"Ichigo, stop!"

The Vizard froze in place and slowly turned his head to the young woman who called out to him.

"Please stop it, this isn't you. You're no murderer; if you continue, you'll never forgive yourself." Orihime said quietly

A long stretch of silence occurred as the three males waited with anxiously for Ichigo's next move.

He took a step just as another presence made itself known.

"Cero Oscuras,"

Uryu moved like a cheetah, using an incomplete hirenkyaku to get to Jiriaya's position and tackle him to the ground just as the black beam engulfed the Vizard.

"U-Ulquiorra!?" Orihime gasped, seeing the severely injured Espada balancing on one incomplete leg with a smoking finger outstretched.

The Espada of Nihilism gave the young woman an emotionless stare, not bothering to say a word.

The dust and debris kicked up by the Hollow's attack cleared to reveal Ichigo, mask blown off revealing a severely pale face and his skin littered with burns; he fell face first on the ground unconscious.

"Ichigo!" Orihime cried, running to his side, followed behind by Naruto.

Ulquiorra watched dispassionately as the group of humans gathered around the Shinigami substitute.

" _It would seem that whatever phenomena that occurred that transformed him has seized. He looks to be truly finished no-what!?"_

The Espada, along with the humans, watched in shock as the remaining Hollow features disbursed from Ichigo's body in the form of reiryoku and entered the hole within his chest, regenerating him completely.

"Ugh," Ichigo groaned feeling a severe case of dizziness as he got to his feet. "What the hell happened?"

" _Impossible."_ Ulquiorra thought, awed at what he was witnessing.

Ichigo looked around in the area in confusion; last he checked he was on top of Las Noches's canopy getting his ass kicked by an irritated Espada under the moonlit sky in the middle of a desert.

So how the hell did he end up in the living world in some random forest?

He turned his gaze to his two friends who were both looking with him with a considerable amount of wariness and concern, putting the Vizard on edge.

"Orihime, Uyru, what the hell is going on here?" Ichigo asked, a tone of urgency was clear in his voice.

Before either of them could explain, another voice cut them off.

"It would seem that you have returned to normal, Kurosaki Ichigo." Ulquiorra said, walking slowly over to the group and trying not to interrupt his very slow regeneration.

The substitute Shinigami's eyes widened while taking in the condition of the Arrancar.

"Ulquiorra…what…how did you get those injuries?" Ichigo questioned, his voice getting shaky.

A look of realization passed over the stoic Espada's face before he composed himself.

"I see, it would appear that you have no memory of your excursion as a Hollow."

As if a switch was flicked in his head, memories flashed through Ichigo's head, bringing him to his knees when he realized what he had done. He turned to the two shinobi; while the blonde kid seemed to be fully healed by Orihime's abilities, the old man was still heavily injured and was starting to go pale as he leaned against his student.

"Hey are you alright!? Orihime, heal him!" Ichigo demanded desperately while he tried to keep himself calm as the girl went to work.

Ulquiorra took a step forward and faced the distraught teen.

"Now Kurosaki, I believe it's time we continue our battle."

Ichigo looked at him in disbelief.

"Are you kidding me; I'm not fighting you like this, you're even missing an arm, it's unfair."

The Espada looked perplexed.

"All the more reason why we should continue as it is in your benefit. I fail to see what is so unfair considering it was you who inflicted these injuries upon me."

"Bullshit!" Ichigo roared, surprising everyone including his opponent at his almost…remorseful tone. "Whatever that…thing was it wasn't me. Therefore this fight has no meaning unless we're both in the same condition."

"What are you saying, Kurosaki Ichigo?"

"I'm saying to cut off one of my arms and then we'll be even." Ichigo answered without fear.

"Ichigo!" Orihime exclaimed, looking absolutely appalled at the demand.

"Are you out of your mind!?" Uryu roared

Naruto looked completely empathetic to Ichigo's plight and Jiraiya felt both sympathy and a small amount of respect for the boy but neither shinobi spoke up, choosing to watch everything play out instead.

Ulquiorra was completely dumbfounded by his enemy's request; why would he intentionally cripple himself? He must know that even if Ulquiorra only had a single arm the chances that he would be defeated would be minimal and Ichigo allowing his arm to be taken would only lessen his chances for victory further.

Regardless, it would seem that he would be able to finish this battle with little trouble so there was no harm in taking the boy up on his offer.

"Fine, if you wish for me to do so I will not deny your request." The Espada took a step forward and gathered his reiryoku to materialize a lance…

…only for his right wing to turn to dust as he did so.

His eyes widened briefly but his blank look came back just as fast and he clicked his teeth in annoyance.

"I'm that far gone am I?" He muttered to himself

He turned to Ichigo who looked absolutely guilt ridden now.

"Finish me, Kurosaki Ichigo."

"W-what?" Ichigo said, watching as his enemy turned to dust before his eyes.

"I cannot move my body any longer, it would only be right for you to finish me now."

"No damn it!" Ichigo roared, falling to his knees and punching the ground in frustration. "I-I didn't want to win this way!"

Ulquiorra looked shocked at the emotions being displayed; why was he showing sympathy to an enemy?

"Even in the end…you won't do what I want, it seems I'm beginning to find you interesting."

Giving up on his request as his body was mostly gone at this point; he turned his gaze over to Orihime who looked at the Arrancar with pity.

"Do you fear me, woman?" he asked quietly, stretching his arm out to her.

She mimicked his movement.

"I do not." She responded somberly

His hand disbursed into dust.

" _I see…the heart…"_

His head began to disintegrate.

"… _is right here…in my hand…"_

For the first time in his existence as a Hollow, Ulquiorra smiled.

The Espada of Nihilism, Ulquiorra Cifer died with the satisfaction on finding the meaning of the heart.

"Damn it." Ichigo said in frustration, watching his greatest rival turn into dust in the wind. "Ulquiorra…"

* * *

Unknown to the group of five, the entire battle had been viewed by a third party from within a tree a good distance away. The figure resembled a venous fly trap with both a white and black half to the body, the resident spy of the Akatsuki, Zetsu.

"Well that was certainly different." The white half said

" **Indeed, we need to report this to Tobi."** The black half responded

"Oh this is so exciting; I can't wait to see more of what that boy can do!"

Black Zetsu didn't respond but inwardly his mind was going a mile a minute; this young man and his friends were unexpected and had displayed abilities he'd never seen in the millennia he existed.

" _ **Unexpected, yet interesting; I'll need to keep my eyes on these three for the foreseeable future."**_

Zetsu began to sink into the tree.

" _ **Especially you, Kurosaki Ichigo, hehe"**_

The humanoid plant giggled creepily as he disappeared from the area, sinister laughter echoing through the decimated forest.

* * *

Whew! How's that for a first chapter? I normally don't make them so long but I was having fun what can I say? So on to addressing a few things:

 **Uryu's powers:** Don't panic, he's not going to stay powerless for long; I just wanted to add a little way for him to begin progressing in power. There is a very good reason as to why he's having difficulty controlling his powers, any real Naruto fan probably already guessed what I'm doing while reading the chapter because I'm not really trying to hide it. I don't want this to just be the Ichigo, Naruto, and Sasuke show, I put Uryu and Orihime in the story as well and plan to use them in any way I can. If anyone has any suggestions for Uryu's progression let me know I'm open to them.

 **Orihime:** Ah my favorite misused ditz; look I know a lot of people don't like Orihime and I think that's got a lot to do with how Kubo used her in canon, he made her power too strong, wrote himself into a wall, and began coming up with bullshit excuses as to why her powers don't work. So let me address this now, I won't make her Shun Shun Rikka an OP hax ability, no, get that out of your head. It's as simple as this; her rejection is as strong as she can will it to be. If another individual is tenacious enough or is simply mentally powerful enough they can bypass her powers. That being said, her progression will involve her increasing her resolve as well as her physical abilities. And yes, I gave her a high-speed technique, everyone else in Bleach has one, so why the hell not? I don't got a solid name for it yet, but if you guys can think of one or anymore abilities for the princess here let me know but there is only so much I can do with her abilities.

 **Ichigo:** I really think Kubo just had Ichigo brush off his slaughter of Ulquiorra far too easily. So you can probably tell that I won't be doing the same thing. I'll let you all know now, DO NOT expect Ichigo to just use his Hollow mask for a while or hell, don't expect him to be ALLOWED to use it for a good bit. This story will be delving a good bit into Ichigo's abilities as a Hollow that is my primary focus for him so expect a lot of things to come out of Ulquiorra's defeat.

Well I think that covers everything for now, I hope you enjoyed this first chapter and hopefully the rest coming will satisfy you as well. Until next time everyone, later.


End file.
